Vehicle Control System

Abstract

A vehicle control system which can ensure high reliability, real-time processing, and expandability with a simplified ECU configuration and a low cost by backing up an error through coordination in the entire system without increasing a degree of redundancy of individual controllers beyond the least necessary level. The vehicle control system comprises a sensor controller for taking in sensor signals indicating a status variable of a vehicle and an operation amount applied from a driver, a command controller for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller, and an actuator controller for receiving the control target value from the command controller and operating an actuator to control the vehicle, those three controller being interconnected via a network. The actuator controller includes a control target value generating unit for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller and received by the actuator controller via the network when the control target value generated by the command controller is abnormal, and controls the actuator in accordance with the control target value generated by the control target value generating unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vehicle control system comprising a plurality of actuator driving means for controlling actuators in accordance with a driver's demand and a vehicle status, and communication means for interconnecting said plurality of actuator driving means, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,
 wherein each of said actuator driving means has control method selecting means for selecting an actuator control method based on an operation state of itself and operation states of the other actuator driving means.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said actuator driving means has failure detecting means for detecting its own failure and notifying the occurrence of the failure to the other actuator driving means via said communication means, and selects the actuator control method based on the failed state of itself and the failed states of the other actuator driving means. 
     
     
         3 . A vehicle control system comprising a plurality of actuator driving means for controlling actuators in accordance with a driver's demand and a vehicle status, and communication means for interconnecting said plurality of actuator driving means, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,
 wherein each of said actuator driving means has control method selecting means for selecting an actuator control method based on reception states of messages sent from the other actuator driving means via said communication means.   
     
     
         4 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 3 , wherein each of said actuator driving means sends a message notifying its own operation state to the other actuator driving means via said communication means, and selects the actuator control method based on whether the messages have been received from the other actuator driving means. 
     
     
         5 . A vehicle control system comprising at least one operation amount generating means for computing operation amount command values based on a driver's demand and a vehicle status, a plurality of actuator driving means for controlling actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating means, and communication means for interconnecting said operation amount generating means and said plurality of actuator driving means, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,
 wherein each of said actuator driving means has control method selecting means for selecting an actuator control method based on an operation state of itself, operation states of the other actuator driving means, and an operation state of said operation amount generating means.   
     
     
         6 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 5 , wherein said operation amount generating means has failure detecting means for detecting its own failure and notifying the occurrence of the failure to said actuator driving means or said operation amount generating means via said communication means; and
 each of said actuator driving means has failure detecting means for detecting its own failure and notifying the occurrence of the failure to the other actuator driving means or said operation amount generating means via said communication means, and selects the actuator control method based on the failed state of itself, the failed states of the other actuator driving means, and the failed state of said operation amount generating means.   
     
     
         7 . A vehicle control system comprising at least one operation amount generating means for computing operation amount command values based on a driver's demand and a vehicle status, a plurality of actuator driving means for controlling actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating means, and communication means for interconnecting said operation amount generating means and said plurality of actuator driving means, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,
 wherein each of said actuator driving means has control method selecting means for selecting an actuator control method based on reception states of messages sent from the other actuator driving means or said operation amount generating means.   
     
     
         8 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 7 , wherein said operation amount generating means sends the operation amount command values to said actuator driving means via said communication means; and
 each of said actuator driving means sends, upon receiving the operation amount command value, a response message to said operation amount generating means or the other actuator diving means via said communication means, and selects the actuator control method based on whether the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating means or the response messages from the other actuator driving means have been received.   
     
     
         9 . A vehicle control system comprising sensor means for detecting a driver's demand and a vehicle status, at least one operation amount generating means for computing operation amount command values based on information from said sensor means, a plurality of actuator driving means for controlling actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating means or the information from said sensor means, and communication means for interconnecting said sensor means, said operation amount generating means and said plurality of actuator driving means, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,
 wherein each of said actuator driving means has control method selecting means for selecting one of a control method using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating means, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on an operation state of itself, operation states of the other actuator driving means, and an operation state of said operation amount generating means.   
     
     
         10 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 9 , wherein said operation amount generating means has failure detecting means for detecting its own failure and notifying the occurrence of the failure to said actuator driving means or said operation amount generating means via said communication means; and
 each of said actuator driving means has failure detecting means for detecting its own failure and notifying the occurrence of the failure to the other actuator driving means or said operation amount generating means via said communication means, and selects one of a control method using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating means, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on the failed state of itself, the failed states of the other actuator driving means, and the failed state of said operation amount generating means.   
     
     
         11 . A vehicle control system comprising sensor means for detecting a driver's demand and a vehicle status, at least one operation amount generating means for computing operation amount command values based on information from said sensor means, a plurality of actuator driving means for controlling actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating means or the information from said sensor means, and communication means for interconnecting said sensor means, said operation amount generating means and said plurality of actuator driving means, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,
 wherein each of said actuator driving means has control method selecting means for selecting one of a control method using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating means, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on reception states of messages sent from the other actuator driving means or said operation amount generating means.   
     
     
         12 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 11 , wherein said operation amount generating means sends the operation amount command values to said actuator driving means via said communication means; and
 each of said actuator driving means sends, upon receiving the operation amount command value, a response message to said operation amount generating means or the other actuator driving means via said communication means, and selects one of a control method using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating means, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on whether the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating means or the response messages from the other actuator driving means have been received.   
     
     
         13 . A vehicle control system for driving, steering and braking a vehicle, said vehicle control system comprising:
 a node for detecting a driver's demand and outputting a corresponding signal;   an operation amount generating node for computing an operation amount command value based on the driver's demand signal and outputting a corresponding signal; and   an actuator driving node for controlling an actuator in accordance with the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node, said three nodes being arranged in a decentralized manner,   wherein each of said three nodes includes a data reception table storing the signals outputted from the other nodes and has a function of detecting a failure of the other nodes by determining data stored in said data reception table.   
     
     
         14 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 13 , wherein said data reception table includes information representing the time of each message, and each node has a function of determining that a message transmission source or a communication path does not operate normally or has recovered to a normal state, when a time delay is larger than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         15 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 13 , wherein said data reception table includes a failure vote section, and each node has a function of identifying a failed node or a node having recovered to a normal state in accordance with a predetermined algorithm. 
     
     
         16 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 14 , wherein said data reception table includes a failure vote section, and each node has a function of identifying a failed node or a node having recovered to a normal state in accordance with a predetermined algorithm. 
     
     
         17 . The vehicle control system according to  claim 15 , wherein each node outputs, as failure votes, failure diagnosis information of the other nodes so that failure determination results of the individual nodes are shared by all the nodes.